The Republican field for the presidency is becoming more crowded.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina jumped into the race Friday, filing to run for the Federal Election Commission. He joins former President Donald Trump, former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and others in seeking the GOP nomination.
And the pool of candidates is expected to grow beyond that.
Here’s a look at the latest news surrounding the new aspirants and other potential candidates.
Tim Scott
Scott, 57, is expected to announce his candidacy Monday in his hometown of North Charleston, South Carolina.
While Scott only polled 2% a Reuters-Ipsos poll earlier this week, he enters the race with plenty of money to spend. Scott has $22 million that he can transfer from his U.S. Senate campaign account to his presidential campaign, which would be the most any presidential candidate has ever started with.
After Monday’s event, Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, is expected to head to Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to hold Republican primaries. He is planning a $5.5 million advertising blitz in those states starting next week and leading up to the first GOP debate in late August.
Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor, widely seen as Trump’s biggest threat to the nomination, will announce his candidacy next week, according to multiple reports.
DeSantis, 44, is expected to file filings to declare his candidacy on Wednesday or Thursday while also making a virtual announcement, possibly in the form of an online video, according to reports. DeSantis reportedly has a meeting scheduled for Thursday with donors in Miami.
A speech formally declaring his career is expected next week.
According to The New York TimesDeSantis told donors on a call Thursday that he and Trump are the only “credible” Republicans in the race and that only he can beat Biden in a general election because “people won’t change their view” of Trump.
Trump has been attacking DeSantis for months. He has accused the Florida governor of wanting to “destroy” Social Security and Medicare, criticized his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and called his public fight with Disney a failure.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll this week had Trump leading DeSantis 49 percent to 21 percent.
mike pence
The former vice president continues to hint that he plans to make a run for the White House, which would pit him against his former boss, Trump. Their relationship soured when Pence refused Trump’s pleas to reject the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
Like other potential candidates, Pence, 63, has been making the rounds in early voting states.
During an event in New Hampshire on Wednesday, Pence he told WBZ-TV in Boston: “I have debated Donald Trump many times, but not with the cameras on. I would like to have the opportunity to present my ideas if I am a candidate.”
Pence has said he will announce his plans “well before the end of June.”
Pence’s allies announced this week that they will launch a new super PAC, called Committed to America, to support his expected candidacy. The organization is being co-chaired by Scott Reed, who managed Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign.
Chris Christie
The former New Jersey governor continues to say he is considering running for president again, often in the same breath criticizing Trump, whom he supported.
In an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Guest host Jonathan Karl and panelists Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland, and Donna Brazille, a Democratic strategist, pressed Christie on whether he plans to launch a bid for the White House.
The exchange came after Christie, 60, said a Republican was needed to take back Trump’s comments.
“You have to get in the ring and do it and take the risk that comes with that,” Christie said, adding, “These are tough decisions.”
Christie also ran against Trump in 2016.
Glenn Youngkin
Virginia’s governor has been sending mixed signals about whether he might enter the race for president. On Thursday, it fueled more speculation run a campaign-style video ad.
The ad, paid for by Youngkin’s political action committee, included excerpts from his recent speech at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., as well as side-by-side images of him and Reagan approaching podiums to deliver speeches.
“We can usher in a new era of American values,” Youngkin, 56, says in the video. “President Ronald Reagan changed lives, and now it’s our turn. A time to choose life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness over oppression and dictatorial rule. The stakes are very high and the consequences could not be greater”.
Youngkin told a reporter in early May that he won’t launch a presidential campaign this year, but he and his aides are keeping the left door open for him to enter the race in 2024.
David Rexrode, Youngkin’s senior political adviser, he told NBC News in a statement, the governor is “100% focused on Virginia” and that the video simply “highlighted his comments at the Reagan Library last week.”
Doug Burgum
North Dakota’s governor appears poised to enter the race, according to multiple reports.
Burgum, 66, acknowledged in an interview this week with the editorial board of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead newspaper who is thinking about a presidential candidacy
CBS News reports Burgum will likely move forward with a campaign, with a final decision expected in the coming weeks, he said. Burgum has already begun hiring political consultants who have advised previous GOP presidential candidates, according to CBS.
I Fox News reported that Burgum has been shooting television commercials to prepare for the launch of a campaign.
A former software executive serving his second term as governor, Burgum lacks name recognition compared to most other candidates or those considering running. But he told the Forum that he believes “there is value in being underestimated all the time. That’s a competitive advantage.”
Chris Sununu
The governor of New Hampshire Puck told the website on Thursday that there is a “61% chance” that he will run for president.
Sununu, 48, added that he wants to wait until the end of the state legislature to make a decision and that he thinks he can make a decision by mid-June.
The Office reported Friday, citing “close allies” in Sununu, that the governor is accelerating his plans to run. Sununu has pitched his potential run to Republican donors and found the response encouraging enough to move forward, the website reports.
others
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Rep. Will Hurd of Texas and former Energy Secretary and Texas Gov. Rick Perry are among other Republicans who have expressed interest in run for president.
The announced GOP field also includes businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio host Larry Elder.
